 |
Location: Southeast Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea
Area: total: 300,000 sq km (land - 298,170 sq km; water - 1,830 sq km)
Coastline: 36,289 km
Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (Nov - Apr); southwest monsoon (May-Oct)
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Natural Resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
Natural Hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year, landslides, active volcanoes, destructive earthquakes, tsunamis
Population: 89,468,677 (2006)
Growth rate: 1.8%
Nationality: Filipino
Ethnic Group: Tagalog 28.1%; Cebuano 13.1%; Ilocano 9%; Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%; Ilonggo 7.5%; Bikol 6%; Waray 3.4%; other 25.3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 80.9%; Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%; Aglipayan 2%; other Christian 4.5%; Muslim 5%; other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%; none 0.1%
Languages: two official languages - Filipino and Egnlish; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Country Name: Republic of the Philippines {Republika ng Pilipinas}
Government Type: Republic
Capital: Manila
Independence: June 12, 1898 (from Spain)
National Holiday: Independence Day, June 12 (from Spain); Independence Day, July 4, 1946, (from United States)
Legal System: based on Spanish and Anglo-American law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Flag Description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing peace and justice) and red (representing courage); a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality; the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain; each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five pointed star representing the three major geographical divisions of the country; Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag dates to 1897; in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top.
The National Animal
The National Tree
The National Bird
The National Bird